There is no evidence that the Opana label has been withdrawn across the U.S. If there are generic versions of this product that were approved by the FDA, it is possible that there are similar generic versions available.
What is Opana?
Opana can be described as an opioid painkiller. Opioids are often referred to as opioids or narcotics.Opana can be used to treat moderate or severe pain.Opana ER, also known as the extended-release variant of Oxymorphone, is used for the continuous treatment of pain. It is recommended that it never be taken only on a need-to-know basis for pain.
Warnings
It is not recommended to use Opana when you suffer from breathing issues or asthma that are severe, a blockage of the stomach or intestines, or if you suffer from moderate to serious liver problems.Oxymorphone may slow or even cease breathing and can cause habit formation. A MISUSE OF OPANA can lead to addiction, overdose, death, or addiction, particularly in children or any other person who is taking the drug without a prescription.Opana taken during pregnancy could cause withdrawal symptoms that could be life-threatening for the infant.The risk of fatal side effects could be expected if you are using Opana along with alcohol or other medications that cause drowsiness or cause breathing to slow down.
Prior to Use Opana
Opana is not advisable to use if you are allergic to oxymorphone or are suffering from:
- Serious asthma or breathing issues;
- Liver disease that is severe or
- An upset stomach or an obstruction in the bowel (including paralytic ileus).
To ensure that Opana is suitable for you, ask your doctor if you have ever experienced:
- Breathing difficulties; sleep apnea (breathing that ceases during sleep);
- A head injury or seizures;
- Addiction to alcohol or drugs or mental illness
- Problems with urination;
- Kidney or liver issues and
- Problems with your gallbladder pancreas, thyroid or gallbladder.
If you take Opana during pregnancy, your baby may become dependent on the medication. This can cause severe withdrawal symptoms for the infant after it is born. Babies born dependent on opioids may need medical treatment for several weeks. Talk to your doctor prior to taking Opana when you are nursing. Tell your doctor when you experience severe fatigue or a slow breathing pattern during breastfeeding.
How to Take Opana?
You should take Opana exactly as directed by your physician. Follow the instructions on your prescription label and go through the entire medication guide. Do not take Opana in greater quantities or for a longer period than what is prescribed. Talk to your doctor if you notice an increase in your desire to consume more of the medicine.
Don't share Opana with anyone else or with someone with a history of substance abuse or addiction. The misuse of Opana can lead to addiction, overdose, or even death. Store the medicine in a location where other people cannot access it. Offering or selling opioids is against the law.Stop using other 24/7 opioid pain pills once you begin using Opana.Consume Opana when you are hungry, at least one hour prior to or two hours after the meal. The medicine should be taken daily at the same time every day.
The tablet should be swallowed whole to prevent exposure to a fatal overdose. Don't crush, chew, break, chew, or dissolve.You should only take one Opana ER extended-release tablet at a time. To keep from choking, you should not use the tablet to lick or wet it prior to placing it in your mouth.Never break or crush the Opana pill in order to inhale the powder, or mix it with a liquid that allows you to inject Opana into a vein. It could cause the death of a person.Don't stop taking Opana abruptly after long-term usage, or you could experience uncomfortable withdrawal effects. Consult your physician about how to stop taking Opana.Place it in a cool, dry place free of heat, moisture, and light. Be aware of the medication you are taking. You must be aware if you are using the medicine improperly or without a prescription. Do not store any empty bottles of opioids. One dose could cause death in someone taking this medication improperly or in some way. Ask your pharmacist where you can find a drug recycling program for takeback. If there isn't a Take-Back program available, dispose of the unneeded medicine in the toilet.
Details on Dosage
Usual Adult Dose of Opana for Pain:
The following recommendations for dosing should only be considered as possible approaches to what is actually a sequence of clinical decisions made over time. Each patient must be treated individually.
Oral:
Utilized as the first Opioid Analgesic
Initial dosage: 10 to 20 mg taken orally every 4 to 6 hours, as necessary to treat the pain.
Maximum initial dose: 20 mg
Conversion of Other Oral Opioids into Oral Oxymorphone:
Determine the dosage of an equipotent drug by using potency tables that are published. It is recommended to begin treatment by administering one-half of the daily oxymorphone requirements in equal, divided doses orally every 4 to 6 hours. Then, gradually alter doses as required.
Comments:
Dose conversion must be performed cautiously and closely monitored due to the large variability of patients in relation to opioid analgesic responses.
Use the dose that is most effective with the shortest time frame that is compatible with the specific treatment goals of the patient.
Watch closely for signs of respiratory depression, particularly in the initial 24 to 72 hours after starting therapy and after each dosage increase.
Due to the risk of abuse, addiction, and misuse, even at doses that are recommended, be cautious about using it for patients who require alternatives to treatment (e.g., opioid and non-opioid combinations) that are not accepted, aren't anticipated to be tolerated, do not provide sufficient analgesia, or are not likely to provide sufficient analgesia.
Usual Adult Dose of Opana ER for Chronic Pain
Use as the first Opioid Analgesic for those who are not opioid-tolerant.
Initial dosage: Tablets with extended-release 5 mg daily orally for 12 hours
Conversion Doses:
Oxymorphone that is immediate-release or extended-release Tablets: Take the same daily dose.
Initial dose: One-half the daily immediate-release requirements as an extended-release tablet, taken orally every 12 hours.
From Other Oral Opioids to Oxymorphone Extended-Release Tablets:
Stop all other round-the-clock opioid medications once oxymorphone extended-release therapy begins.
Published potency tables are a good way to determine the patient's oral oxymorphone need; however, due to the substantial variation between patients, the conversion will likely underestimate the patient's requirement for 24 hours and give a rescue medication once the dosage is adjusted.
Alternatively, you can use these conversion coefficients (CF) to convert certain oral opioids into extended-release oxymorphone tablets. Oxymorphone, CF=1 Hydrocodone CF=0.5 Oxycodone CF = 0.5 Methadone, CF = 0.5 Morphine, CF = 0.333
In the following example, Take the daily dose of any prior oral opioid and multiply it times the CF to calculate the 24 hours of oral oxymorphone requirements. Divide that number by 2 to determine the approximate starting dose to be administered once every 12 hours, then round down if needed.
These CFs are not able to convert oxymorphone extended-release tablets to oral opioids because doing so could result in an overestimation of oral opioid dosage and could cause death from respiratory depression.
Titration and Maintenance:
Maintaining Dose: Individually adjust to a dosage that delivers sufficient analgesia and reduces the risk of adverse reactions. Adjustments to dose could be taken in 5 to 10 mg increments every 12 hours and every three to seven days.
Broken-through pain: In the event that the degree of pain persists after dose stabilization, try to determine the cause prior to increasing the dose. Using a rescue medication that has the right immediate-release analgesia could be beneficial.
Comments:
A patient who is opioid-tolerant is one who is receiving for one week or more oral morphine at 60 mg/day, fentanyl transdermal patches at 25 mg/hour, oral oxycodone at 30 mg/day, oral hydromorphone at 8 mg/day, oral oxymorphone at 25 mg/day, or an equivalent dose of an opioid.
If you are converting from methadone to another, careful monitoring is of utmost significance due to methadone's lengthy half-life.
Dose conversion must be performed carefully and monitored closely because of the wide variation in patients' responses to opioids.
After the end of therapy for the patient who is physically dependent, individuals taper and reassess frequently to control withdrawal and pain symptoms.
What Happens If I Miss a Dose?
Because Opana is used to treat pain, it's unlikely to skip the dose. Avoid any missed doses when it's time to take your next dose. Don't take two doses at once.
What Happens If I Overdose?
Get medical attention immediately or contact the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. Oxymorphone overdoses can be fatal, particularly for children or anyone else using the drug without a prescription. Overdose symptoms may include extreme drowsiness, a sharpening of the pupils, a slow breathing rate, or the inability to breathe.
A doctor may suggest you purchase Naloxone (a medicine that reverses an overdose of opioids) and carry it on hand throughout the day. The person who is caring for you could administer naloxone if your breathing stops or you don't regain consciousness. The person who cares for you must seek medical attention in the event of an emergency. They might need to administer CPR (cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) to you as they wait for assistance to arrive.
You can purchase naloxone at pharmacies or your local health department. Be sure that anyone who cares for you is aware of the location where you store your naloxone and how to utilize it.
What Should be Avoided?
Avoid drinking or consuming alcohol. Dangerous side effects or even death could happen. Avoid driving or engaging in hazardous activities until you are aware of the effects of this medicine on you. The feeling of dizziness or drowsiness could result in accidents, falls, or serious injuries.
Side Effects of Opana
Get immediate medical attention. If you notice symptoms that you are experiencing an allergic reaction, Opana: hives, breathing difficulties, or swelling of your lips, face, or tongue.
Opioid medicines can cause breathing to slow or cease, causing death. The person who is caring for you should administer Naloxone or seek medical attention if you experience breath that is slow, with pauses for a long time, blue-colored lips, or if it is difficult to get back up.
Contact your doctor immediately. If you are suffering from:
- Breathing that is weak or shallow and that stops or becomes weak;
- A lightheaded sensation, similar to feeling like you're about to pass out.
- Seizure (convulsions);
- Chest cough, wheezing, or pain in the chest with green or yellow mucus;
- Severe vomiting;
- Serotonin levels that are elevated in the body can cause hallucinations, agitation, fever, sweating, shivering, rapid heart rate, stiffness of muscles and twitching, nausea, or vomiting.
- Low levels of cortisol and nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, fatigue, dizziness that gets worse, or weakness.
Risky side effects are more likely to occur in older patients as well as those who are overweight or malnourished. weak.
Common opiates adverse effects could be:
- Dizziness, drowsiness;
- Headache, tiredness.
- Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
This is not a comprehensive list of possible side effects, and others could happen. Contact your doctor for advice regarding medical effects. You can report any symptoms to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Interaction with Other Drugs
Opioid medicine can interact with other drugs, causing serious side effects or even death. Be sure your doctor is aware if you take:
- Medicine for allergies or colds, such as the bronchodilator asthma and COPD medication or a diuretic ("water pill");
- Medications to treat motion sickness and irritable bowel syndrome medicines for motion sickness, irritable bowel syndrome, and an overactive bladder;
- Other opioids: pain medication for opioids as well as prescription-based cough medicines
- A sedative that is similar to Valium diazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam, Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, and many others;
- Drugs that can make you tired or reduce your breathing, such as a sleep pill, a medication to relax muscles, treat mental illnesses,
- Medications that alter serotonin concentrations in the body. stimulants, or medicines to treat Parkinson's disease, depression, migraine headaches, severe illnesses, nausea, and vomiting.